The deep umami flavors of this gravy come from using both fresh and dried mushrooms, red miso, and sherry. Fresh rosemary and thyme are added for flavor accents and it's seriously the best gravy I've ever eaten. No one at the table will miss their gravy made from meat drippings.
Make this gravy in advance when having a large gathering and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Jump to Recipe
Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.
Jump to:
Recipe Summary
- Easily made vegan by switching out the butter for extra-virgin olive oil.
- Umami-rich from mushrooms and miso.
- There aren't a lot of steps in making this gravy, but I've added tips for success along the way.
- There's a fair amount of meal prep involved in dicing the mushrooms. I won't lie. But it's worth it.
There's something intimidating about making gravy. Will it be too oily or too thin and what the heck do I do if it is??
The problem is, having a gravy on our holiday table, whether it's Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, is non-negotiable to people like my husband. And I can't make a traditional gravy since I'm not ever cooking a turkey.
So I've experimented with quite a few over the years in my search for a vegetarian version that has the same depth of flavor as the homemade meat-based ones my husband craves.
And I finally created one inspired a recipe I saw in the New York Times that's a huge winner for both of us.
🍄🟫 Ingredient Notes
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for a complete listing of the ingredients, measurements, and directions.
- Mushrooms - Baby bella, also called cremini, mushrooms are perfect for the base gravy. For a deeper mushroom flavor, stir in rehydrated dried mushrooms towards the end.
- Fresh herbs - Fresh rosemary and fresh thyme are my herbs of choice, but feel free to experiment. Tarragon could be another good option.
- Miso - Miso adds a deep umami flavor to this gravy and I recommend using red miso, which is the darkest type.
- Sherry - Not to be confused with sherry wine vinegar, sherry wine adds additional depth and complexity to this gravy. If you don't have any, you can substitute dry vermouth or marsala wine but neither offers the same impact as sherry wine. For a non-alcoholic option, finish the gravy with soy sauce.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
- Umami rich. It has a ton of umami from mushrooms and miso so no one will miss the meat drippings.
- Flavorful. A little sherry at the end adds a depth of flavor and complements all the other flavors.
- Fresh herbs. Rosemary and thyme both go beautifully with mushrooms and provide additional flavors to the gravy. You don't want it to only taste of mushrooms.
- Make-ahead friendly. The flavors only get better overnight, and having the gravy all made makes life easy on the day of a dinner party.
📝 Instructions Overview
Step 1
Prep. Dice the onion and fresh mushrooms.
Step 2
Brown the mushrooms. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until the mushrooms are well browned.
Step 3
Add herbs and flour. Add the fresh rosemary and thyme and sprinkle everything with flour. Sauté until the flour is golden brown. Rehydrate the dried mushrooms.
Step 4
Add liquid. Gradually whisk in the broth and simmer to thicken the gravy.
Step 5
Amp up the flavor. Stir in the red miso, salt, pepper, and rehydrated mushrooms. Simmer and finish with sherry.
🥬 Make it Vegan
Use extra virgin olive oil in place of the butter.
🙋♀️ FAQ
The 3-2-1 gravy rule refers to the ratio of flour to liquid and fat when making a simple gravy. The rule says that for every 3 parts of flour, use 2 parts fat and 1 cup of liquid to create a flavorful gravy that's not too floury, fatty, or liquidy.
This is a perfect formula for a simple gravy made with just flour, fat, and broth. But these proportions change once you add onions and mushrooms like this recipe. So no, this recipe does not follow the gravy rule. It would be much too thick.
Yes. The flavors only get better overnight.
Store leftover gravy an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I personally haven't tried this, but it should theoretically work fine. After cooling completely to room temperature, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
👩🍳 Ways to Use This Vegetarian Gravy
Ladle this mushroom gravy over mashed potatoes and these air fryer biscuits. Or whip up a batch of this polenta and swap out the mole for gravy.
My Best Vegetarian Gravy Recipe with Mushrooms
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter divided
- 2 cups fine diced yellow onion ~ 1 large yellow onion
- 1 pound baby bella (cremini) mushrooms (4 cups when fine diced)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ ounce mixed dried mushrooms
- enough red wine to cover the dried mushrooms or water
- 12 cups vegetable broth
- 4 teaspoons red miso paste or more, as desired
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more, as desired
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or more, as desired
- 1 tablespoon sherry wine
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and set aside.Thinly slice whole mushrooms. Stack a few slices at a time and slice them again lengthwise into narrow strips. Finally, slice them, still stacked, across their width to get finely diced mushrooms.
- Melt half of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the diced onion and mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are well browned. Pro tip: Don't cut this step short. This is where a lot of flavor is developed. Only once the mushrooms are well-browned, add the remaining butter, fresh rosemary and thyme. Sauté until the butter is melted.
- Fluff the flour with a fork a few times, and spoon enough flour into a measuring cup to measure ¾ cup. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mushrooms and toss to coat the veggies, using a wooden spoon. Occasionally toss and stir until the flour is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
- While the floured veggies sauté, put the dried mixed mushrooms in a bowl or cup and add enough red wine or water to cover them.
- Slowly whisk in the vegetable broth, a half cup at a time, until a smooth sauce forms. Wait for the sauce to thicken before adding each half cup. When all of the broth is added, simmer 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the red miso paste, salt, and pepper. If the dried mushrooms are rehydrated, coarsely chop and stir into the gravy. Simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors, correct for seasoning, and stir in the sherry.
Leave a Reply